Can only power on with AC-adapter, not on battery

[Esben]

Hi,

Problem is the power on button seems dead when the laptop is disconnected from mains. When I plug in the AC adapter, it turns on, as if the battery was completely dead. If I shut down the computer, the power button works normally (when connected).

If I instead put it in standby, I can resume from standby, even when on battery only. The battery is down to 57 % of original capacity. The computer runs perfectly stable after it has been powered on.

Summing up, the problem exists only when cold booting the machine, on battery.
Has anyone else experienced a similar problem, or has some suggestions as to what can be broken?

Currently the machine is completely dismounted, because the UltraBay ejector got stuck. The situation is unchanged whether harddrive, CD-drive, WLAN, PC-Card or display is disconnected.

[mitchellst]

I've seen this before. It's an issue with your motherboard. I couldn't say exactly what causes it, but I hope you're under warranty.

[Esben]

Thanks for the tip Mitchell. I hope it's something smaller than the motherboard, as the warranty is expired.

[goofyGAguy]

Had a similar problem a while back with a T23. It turned out to be a faulty mini-PCI modem card.

[Esben]

Just as a follow up if someone else encounters a similar problem.

I assembled the machine again, and still it couldn't power on with the power button. I accepted that, as the problem had existed since the start of the year.

Now some weeks ago, I tried pressing the power button, with no AC connected, and the machine started up
That means the machine is back in 100 % working condition. What caused the problem is unknown, and so is the solution.

[maverdal]

I had similar problem last year. I had contact with IBM Singapore who arranged me a new motherboard on warranty. They claimed it was a known problem with a faulty component on the motherboard. Additionally i had in the Battery Information Status tab under Remaining Time only 00:00 when running on the battery alone. This particular question was asked by IBM service desk who took the zero-remaining time as a signal that the motherboard required replacement.